More Armor modules

[bobucles]

Comment on the ones you like or dislike, and suggest more!

<< Low tech >>
Kinetic charger: 1x2. Produces 50W while moving. Reduces movement speed 10-20%. Resources: electric engines.

Logistic arm (demander): 2x3 Automatically grabs items from nearby chests according to logistic demand rules or inventory filter settings. Range 2.

Logistic arm (supplier): 2x3 Automatically deposits items in nearby requester chests. range 2.

Logistic arm (turret feeder): 2x3. Automatically deposits ammo in nearby gun turrets according to settings (keep X ammo, refill up to Y).

Smart builder (activated ability, replaces manual plopping): 4x2. Builds exactly what you intended to build on a blueprint site, if materials are available. Sweep mouse across a base and watch it grow! Will trigger crafting if required/possible.

<< Medium tech >>

Induction charger: 2x2. Produces moderate energy (100W) by leeching from the local power grid (I.E. blue area near a power pole). Resources: Steel and copper.

Repair beam: 2x3. An automatic laser that repairs things or robots near the player. Heals 2-5HP/sec. Consumes Moderate energy while active (200-300W). Resources: Laser turrets and processing circuits.

Manufactorum: 3x3. Increases player crafting speed by 50-150%. Consumes high energy (500W) when active. Resources: Smart inserters, engines, and advanced circuits.

Autogun: 2x3. An automatic firing weapon that behaves like the input weapon. Ammo is drawn from inventory. Resources: Processing units and input guns(pistol/smg/shotgun/rl)

<< High tech >>
Superconducting ring: 4x4 (hollow 2x2?). Stores 300-500kJ of power. Drains 50-150W of losses.

Logistic Antenna: 4x4. Player crafting can now request from the logistical network. Items which can be crafted from the network have a green outline, and crafting will automatically prompt drones to deliver the goods. Combnine with the smart builder for best results.

Automatic aiming system: 2x2. Firing the weapon no longer forces the player to slow down.

Drone charging system: 3x3. Drones can deliver energy directly to the player, recharging his battery. Each system may mount one drone, which charges at 2-5kW until it is forced to return to base. May require special player assisting drone.

[bobingabout]

I'm sure Ssilk will butt in soon and mention that you're sugesting too many things at once...

Anyway. Kinetic charger probably wouldn't work with the idea of the exoskeleton, they're mutually exclusive ideas, because the exoskeleton costs energy to move faster.

The Smart builder could be considered part of the portable roboport that is coming in 0.12.

I like the idea of Induction charger (being able to draw power from your grid), the repair beam, and the autogun. The autogun more from my modding perspective, I want to write in more options for power suit turrets, but the only source of ammo currently available is power suit energy.

Logistic Antenna (the name fails when you consider we're already having a portable roboport) would require a complete re-write of the current player crafting system, because it would need to take into account things that have been requested and arn't in your inventory yet. currently, the materials for your entire crafting queue are in the queue, not your inventory. it could also need to take into account stalling at points where items havn't arived yet, so building what it can instead of waiting for what it can't.


Just a few of my thoughts anyway.

[ssilk]

I'm sure Ssilk will butt in soon and mention that you're sugesting too many things at once...

I do it not so often anymore. I think such suggestion are much faster outdated than "good ones" and the problem resolves itself automatically.

[bobucles]

There's nay such thing as too many ideas. Some are good, some are less good. That's just how it works. I appreciate hearing that player logistics will get stronger in the future.

Anyway. Kinetic charger probably wouldn't work with the idea of the exoskeleton, they're mutually exclusive ideas, because the exoskeleton costs energy to move faster.

So what if they're opposites? The speed boost costs more energy than the kinetic generator gives. No exploit allowed. The idea is that a low tech player can use these to recover his battery storage between battles or go more tanky, instead of sleeping for solar or rushing fusion.

What if suit modules could hook up into vehicles? Say that vehicles could have shields or laser turrets active from the player suit. These vehicles could even have outlet chargers to make them more desirable, such as 50W from the car and 500W from the tank. It would promote a different style of equipment as players don't need exoskeleton speed or as many panels/fusion, and can instead load up on combat modules.

[ssilk]

There's nay such thing as too many ideas. Some are good, some are less good. That's just how it works. I appreciate hearing that player logistics will get stronger in the future.

Exactly. The problem is just, how can you discuss something, which is not one idea, but many.

Code: Select all

User 1: I suggest A, B and C
User 2: I like B, but not C
User 3: I don't like A. It will be better made when doing like D.
User 4: Why? A is nice.
User 2: A is ok if it will be more like C.
User 3: No A is bullshit.

Developers: WTF?

Code: Select all

User 1: I suggest A
User 2: I like it.
User 3: I don't like it. It will be better made when doing like B.
User 4: B was already discussed, that makes no sense. A is a cool idea.

Developers: Hm. A is not a bad suggestion. I will put it on the list.

[Peter34]

Exactly. The problem is just, how can you discuss something, which is not one idea, but many.

Often when multiple suggestions are posted together, they form a coherent vision. Often, it's the case that any one of those multiple ideas viewed in isolation is somewhat boring, but if implemented all together they'll synergize.

[ssilk]

Right, Peter, that's why I wrote this article.

And to get me right: I don't said, this suggestion is bad or good, just that lists of suggestion are problematic, if they cover many different themes. Which is not the case here, but maybe it goes a bit too deep into the details if implementation...

Sorry for this off-topic.

[kiba]

I'm sure Ssilk will butt in soon and mention that you're sugesting too many things at once...

Anyway. Kinetic charger probably wouldn't work with the idea of the exoskeleton, they're mutually exclusive ideas, because the exoskeleton costs energy to move faster.

It's not a mutually exclusive idea.

Think regenerative breaking on a Tesla Model S. It's not so much that it's regenerating energy but recapturing energy that would be otherwise lost.

[Takezu]

I've you break you don't accelerate. The Exo speeds up your movement at the cost of energy, a kineticgenerator produces energie through the means of making it harder for you to move (thats where the energie comes from). There Excact opossits of each other.

Just as example, take both with the same efficency, you would move normaly, without gaining or losing energy. The generator slows you down to produce the energy,
that the exo uses to speed you up. Such systems won't work, thats why there mutually exclusive.

And you are no car, you have no breaks that could convert your inertia force into energy. And even if, it would not much what would come out of it,
The mass would be to small to have a real impact. it's one thing to stop round about 1000Kg and store the inertia force as energy and another thing to stop maybe 80kg.

[bobucles]

Often when multiple suggestions are posted together, they form a coherent vision.

You mean like MORE ARMOR MODULES?

Kinetic charger probably wouldn't work with the idea of the exoskeleton

Yeah. So? One costs energy for speed, the other sacrifices speed for energy. They conflict so DON'T USE BOTH! Easy.

The kinetic charger is made for low level suits which are very DIFFICULT to supply with energy; the player can sacrifice their time in exchange for a more powerful suit. Remember early game modular suits? Kinetic chargers would compete against solar power.

The induction charger is made for a mid game suit. It is made to very easily supply the energy for base defense or the exoskeleton leg boost, but ONLY when the player is inside their energy network. It's more difficult to use in the field because combat can very easily draw you away from a charging source (or biters could just kill it). There is no mid tier power source, so this would bridge the gap until fusion.

When the player gains fusion and exoskeleton speed, they are free to discard both techs. Just as they would discard solar panels and low level batteries and sometimes most of their shields.

The drone charging dock is made for LATE game suits, and it is meant to compete against fusion. It provides SUPER energy as long as the player is inside their drone network. The downside is that drones are extremely vulnerable and building a roboport on the front line isn't always viable. Players who want more reliable energy are better off using their pocket fusion.

The superconducting coil is partially an experiment with arbitrary module shapes. It is bulky to prevent spam, but hollow so it doesn't occupy the whole suit. The energy drain pushes you to use drone charging, as it would weigh down your fusion supply. It is made to store super amounts of energy so that you can stay supplied on intermittent drone charges. Players with a coil can supply the massive energy sinks of shields and lasers, allowing a tanky build that fusion isn't strong enough to satisfy.

[PROTOS]

that wood bee good

[delassa]

Actually thought of this while streaming the other day

Portable radar, basically extends the players vision radius by a decent amount (somewhere around a regular radar's coverage maybe), fairly expensive on power but could be stacked for additional radius effect.

[Gandalf]

Some of those modules sound cool, some sound very weird/useless.

- I'm not a fan of those various “arms” that would somehow be grabbing/supplying stuff. I just can't picture that working to any reasonable effect.
- The Smart builder will be of no use with the upcoming update that includes a personal roboport.
- Kinetic charger: That's essentially the opposite of an exosceleton, why would you ever want that O.o

+ Induction charger: Faster charging while close to the power grid makes absolute sense. though this one should take up like no space at all, maybe even just be a built-in behaviour of the suit.
- Repair beam: Also replaceable by the personal roboport (at least it should be)
+ Manufactorum: increase crafting spead, sounds cool. Imo it'd have to be a huge effect to be useful, like at least double or tripple the crafting speed.
- Autogun: Once you have a suit you definitely got lasers, and lasers are better then amo guns. Why would you want to have an amo gun when there are already lasers that you can put in your suit?

- Logistic Antenna: I'm not seeing how this is different from the player logistics slots…

+ Somebody suggested a portable radar, which I'm totally down for.

Generally I think that there shouldn't be too much useful stuff that you ultimately rely because even the big suit's 10x10 space already feels very cramped. With new modules available there should either be a larger grid or a lot of these modules should be very tiny.

@ssilk Your sketch of the average suggestion thread is missing the obligatory meta discussion about how suggestions should be submitted. Plus this meta-meta post.

[Takezu]

Well point one, why should a induction charger take up no space, would make suitpowergeneration like the Reactor obsolet. It should take an appropriate space up like any thing else.

And point tow, with more modules should come more tiers of suits. Lager grids are possible but the shoulden't come for free.
Just enlarging the grid only that all fits in isn't a good way. And shrinking of the modules isn'T either.
If then i'd go for a higer tier suit with more space. By the way what do you mean with crampt?
Ther aren't enough modules to fill the grid in the first place, you'll have multiples i mean, 1 Reactor, 4 Exos, 4 batterys and rest shielding or or something in that direction. There is space enough,you can't just have everything at once. Would give the Big Grid a meaning besides stuffing it full with shields.

[bobucles]

Why should one piece armor have all of everything? 10x10 is a LOT of space, enough to make a character totally super powered. If you want variety in suits, just make another MK2 suit and put different modules on it. That's kind of the point of modules.

[ssilk]

Exactly. We had this discussion already somewhere, but I cannot find it yet.

@Gandalf: LOL